Scrap feeding apparatus

ABSTRACT

An indexing-type delivery device for interposition between a receiving chamber for material, such as scrap metal, and a device, such as shears, for acting upon or conditioning the material. The delivery device is rotatably mounted and has a pair of compartments for serially receiving the material from the reception chamber whereby the feed to the conditioning device may be substantially independent of the discharge of the material into the receiving chamber.

PATENTEDm 14 1914 SHEET 1 0F 2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in particular to apparatus for conditioning scrap metal, for instance, cutting it into convenient lengths for further handling or conditioning. l-Ieretofore, such shearing devices have been fed from hopper-like equipment into which the scrap is dumped. When a sufficient quantity of scrap is received in the hopper-likedevice and preliminarily treated, as by compression or sizing," it is pushed, for instance, by a hydraulic plunger, into the shear device. Each charge of scrap may be cut into several lengths with the result that refilling of the hopper-like receptacle is delayed until the previous charge is removed therefrom. Equipment has been produced which provides means in addition to the normal receiving chamber upon which scrap can be placed while the previous charge is being transferred to the shear, but in such apparatus, as mentioned above, the ultimate recharging of the receiving chamber is dependent upon the time required for removing the previous charge therefrom.

Accordingly, anobject of the present invention is to provide means for increasing the rate of delivering materials such as metal scrap to a conditioning device, such as shears.

A more specific object is to provide an indexing device having at least two individual compartments for receiving material from the feed hopper or receiving chamber in serial order, so that transfer of the scrap from one such compartment to the shear can be effected during the time when the receiving chamber or hopper is being refilled and the subsequent charge transferred to another delivery compartment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with this invention, the scrap is initially dumped into a receiving hopper which has pivoted, angular side walls elements for initially compress-' ing or sizing the charge so as to pass into the shears associated therewith. Between the receiving and shearing parts there is interposed the novel delivery device which comprises a rotatably mounted body having sideby-side elongated compartments disposed about the axis of the body. Powering means rotates the delivery body so as to position the compartments serially or one at a time so that the compartment in a first position communicates with the hopper-like receiving device and then is rotated to asecond position so as to communicate with the inlet of the shearing device, while the second delivery compartment is brought into communication with the receiving chamber. Independent plunger devices push a charge from the hopper-like receiving chamber into the delivery compartment communicating therewith and then push this charge, after rotation of the delivery device to the second position, from the compartment into the shears at a speed which is independent of the rate of recharging the receiving chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, X

FIG. I is an isometric view of the apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal center section, showing parts of the apparatus.

t 2 FIGS. 3 and 4 are vertical transverse sectional views taken on the'corresponding section lines of FIG. 2, but with the delivery part in difierent positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The apparatus shown in the figures includes, in general, a hopper-like receiving or sizing part A, the indexing delivery part B, and shears part C. Parts A and C are more-or-less standard equipment items now commercially available, as from applicants assignee, and normally are arranged in tandem so that scrap received in part A is first sized therein, as will be explained, and then transferred, usually step-by-step, to the shears for further processing. The connecting or delivery part B and modifications of parts A and C in conformance therewith, constitute the present invention.

Part A comprises a base frame formed of I-beam side members 8 connected by end members 9 and 10 and resting on transverse blocks ll, 12, and 13. End member 10 is centrally depressed, as at 100. A heavy longitudinal bottom plate 14 rests on and extends from astrap 15 connecting side members 8 near the righthand end of the underframe (FIG. 1) and extends centrally to-the opposite end of the sizing deviceA where itis secured to the transverse end plate 16 having a top part l6a coextensive with the end of part A, except for a central rectangular opening 17 inline with but above plate 14 and for a purpose to be described. End plate 16 has a pair of legs 16b spaced transversely apart (FIG. 4) and at their lower ends resting upon and secured to depressed end frame element 10a. Plate 14 is intermediately supported from the side frame members by transverse webs l8. Secured, as by welding, to the undersurface of plate 14 near the end thereof is a bearing half 19 having a detachable bearing cap 20.

At the sides of bottom plate 14 are angular side doors 24 and 25 hingedly mounted by means of pairs of outward lugs 26, each receiving therebetween a lug 27 projecting from one of the transverse webs I8 and a hinge. pin 28. The doors are actuated by means of hy- .draulic motors each including a cylinder 29 with a piston and piston rod 30 connected by a pivot pin 31 and lugs 32 to the door outwardly'of stationary hinges 26, 27, 28. Each cylinder 29 is pivotally mounted at its lower end on a pin 33 received between the distal extremities of a pair of transverse arms 34. These side wall members, in their open positions as shown in FIG.

1, form with bottomplate 14 a large receiving chamber into which scrap metal to be processed may be dumped. I

At the right-hand end of bottom plate 14 there is provided a pillow block 36 from which projects oppositely to plate 14 a cylinder 37 enclosing a piston and piston rod 38 which are actuated in both directions by hydraulic connections and suitable valving (not shown The piston rod mounts a pusher member or plunger 39 at.

its free extremity. Plunger 39 slidably rests upon bottom plate 14 and is of substantially the same crosssectional area as opening 17 in end plate top portion 16a.

Side walls or doors 24 and 25 can be swung by their hydraulic motors to closed positions, with their upper edges 24a and 25a abutting or overlapping (FIG. 4) so as to initially compress a charge of scrap metal D in the receiving chamber into an over-all configuration to pass through opening 17 when plunger 39 is actuated ,to force the now sized" scrap metal charge out of re- The indexing delivery part B consists of an elongated body of rectangular cross section having journal pins 41 and 42 rigidly mounted centrally in the opposite ends thereof and, in the assembly, rotatably received in bearings 19, in sizing part A and 43 in shears part C. Extending longitudinally entirely through part B on opposite sides of the axis thereof are a pair of parallel compartments 44 and 45. The right-hand end of member B (FIG. 3) has sidewardly extending face or bearing plates 46 and 47 with reinforcing gussets 48 and 49. Journal pins 41 and 42 are rigidly braced by baffles 48 and 49 located in the space between compartments 44 and 45. In the assembly face plate extensions 46 and 47 bear against plate 16 at the end of sizer member A.

At the opposite end of delivery device B there is secured a large circumferentially toothed plate 51 serving as a bull gear for rotating indexing delivery part B. Mounted above upper reinforcing rib 52 on shears part C is a motor 53 having a pinion 54 meshing with toothed plate 51 for powering the delivery device. The motor will, of course, be connected to a suitable source of power, as an electric line, and control means.

Beneath and paralleling bottom plate 14 there is provided a second hydraulic cylinder 56 having its rear end supported on cross framing member 9 and its forward end carried on depressed part 10a of end frame member 10. At the projecting end of piston rod 57 there is a plunger 58 ofa cross-sectional area and configuration for free slidable reception in delivery part compartments 44 and 45. A small apron plate 59 at the bottom of plunger 58 serves as a wearplate. The plunger is aligned with the lower of the two delivery device compartments and acts between support legs 16b on plate 16 secured to the forward end of the receiving and sizing device A. Shears part C has a forward wall 61 againstwhich the opposed wall of bull gear plate 51 bears. Mounted on and projecting rearwardly from plate 61 is the bearing structure 62 for journal pin 42, which may be split for convenience of assembly, and a chute structure 63 registering with the opening 64 and the lower of compartments 44 and 45. Chute 63 rests on a block 65 having a shear edge 66. Cooperable with edge 65 is an arm 67 pivoted at 68 and having a complementary shearing ege 69. Arm 67 is normally maintained in its upward position, as shown in FIG. 2, and may be actuated downwardly for shearing material in chute 63 by means of a hydraulic piston 69.

OPERATION cally and with the upper of the compartments in registering alignment with bottom plate 14 and plunger 39. With a load ofscrap in the chamber on plate 14 and between open side door members 24 and 25, as at D in FIG. 2, these latter members are then closed (FlG. 4) so as to compress the scrap charge into a general overall configuration sufficiently smaller than opening l7 to freely pass therethrough. Plunger 39 is then actuated leftwardly to force the now properly sized scrap charge through opening 17 and into upper compartment 44 in delivery device B. As soon as the entire charge has been forced into compartment 44, as automatically or v visually determined, plunger 39 is retracted and side doors 24 and 25 reopened for receiving a second charge of scrap. Meanwhile, delivery device B is rotated so as to bring the other compartment 45 into aligned communication with the receiving and sizing chamber for repetition of the previously described steps. First compartment 44 is now in the lower position in alignment with lower plunger 58 and opening 64 in the shearing part. Lower plunger 58 is hydraulically energized leftwardly for forcing the scrap in the first compartment into the shearing device. Usually, this latter action will take place step-by-step for insuring severing of desirably short lengths of scrap material. Such step-by-step action, of course, may require more time than the filling of the receiving and sizing chamber and discharge thereofinto the upper delivery compartment. In such case, there may be some delay before the next indexing rotation of the delivery device can be achieved for continuing the delivery action. Nevertheless, the processing of scrap is speeded substantially with the use of the novel indexing delivery device.

The novel indexing device may be used with different handling equipment than that illustrated and, also, it

' would be entirely possible and feasible to adapt an indexing-type multiple compartment delivery device for use with a plurality of processing devices. Also, a plu rality of receiving parts may be indexed to cooperate with a lesser number of delivery of processing parts. Moreover, manual or automatic controls, of course, will be provided for achieving the desired delivery as well as processing operation. The exclusive use of all modifications as'come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1. Scrap feeding apparatus comprising a scrap receiving part having a chamber, a scrap delivery part having a plurality of compartments, one of said parts being moveably mounted for bringing said compartments selectively into communication with said chamber, first means for transferring scrap from said chamber to a first of said compartments, mechanism for shifting said moveably mounted part to a second position to bring a second of said compartments into communication with said chamber, and second means for discharging scrap from said first compartment, when said moveable part is in said second position, independently of said mechanism.

2. Scrap feeding apparatus as described in claim 1, further including scrap processing equipment connected to said receiving chamber by said delivery part and having a feed opening normally communicating with one of said delivery compartments.

3. Scrap feeding apparatus as described in claim 2 in which said processing equipment comprises reciprocating scrap shears.

4. The combination with a scrap shears device having an inlet opening, of a scrap sizing device including a scrap receiving chamber, a delivery device connecting said chamber and said shears device opening, said delivery device comprising a pivotally mounted body with a plurality of side by side compartments extending therethrough in an axial direction, means for rotating said body to bring said compartments serially into conments in communication therewith, and second necting communication with said chamber and said plunger means for forcing scrap from said compartshears device opening, first plunger means for forcing merits, respectively, into said shears device opening. scrap from said chamber into the one of said compart- 

1. Scrap feeding apparatus comprising a scrap receiving part having a chamber, a scrap delivery part having a plurality of compartments, one of said parts being moveably mounted for bringing said compartments selectively into communication with said chamber, first means for transferring scrap from said chamber to a first of said compartments, mechanism for shifting said moveably mounted part to a second position to bring a second of said compartments into communication with said chamber, and second means for discharging scrap from said first compartment, when said moveable part is in said second position, independently of said mechanism.
 2. Scrap feeding apparatus as described in claim 1, further including scrap processing equipment connected to said receiving chamber by said delivery part and having a feed opening normally communicating with one of said delivery compartments.
 3. Scrap feeding apparatus as described in claim 2 in which said processing equipment comprises reciprocating scrap shears.
 4. The combination with a scrap shears device having an inlet opening, of a scrap sizing device including a scrap receiving chamber, a delivery device connecting said chamber and said shears device opening, said delivery device comprising a pivotally mounted body with a plurality of side by side compartments extending therethrough in an axial direction, means for rotating said body to bring said compartments serially into connecting communication with said chamber and said shears device opening, first plunger means for forcing scrap from said chamber into the one of said compartments in communication therewith, and second plunger means for forcing scrap from said compartments, respectively, into said shears device opening. 